Hackathon at Nineleaps — Season 2

The participants’ interview

Hackathon at Nineleaps is an initiative that started in 2016. The core idea behind the event was to motivate and engage employees and encourage innovation. The event provides a creative coding platform to the participants giving them an opportunity to code their ideas and discover their talent and creativity. This was the second year of the event, which took place at Nineleaps on the 1st and 2nd of June, 2018.

Given the unprecedented proliferation of digitization across sectors, coding is a skill that is a ticket to professional growth and opportunities. There is a growing urge to learn more about digitization and this is why the event has been a huge success. To get a deeper dive into the event, we interviewed a few of the following participants about their hackathon experience and learning.

Ø Geetika (Talent Acquisition)

Ø Adoni (ADT)

Ø Leela (Software Developer)

Ø Ankur (SDET)

1. Was this your first Hackathon? If yes, how was your first impression? If no, how was it different from the previous one/s?

Geetika: Yes, this was my first hackathon and it was really exciting and engaging. I was curious to learn and I found out a lot of answers.

Adoni: This was not my first but the spirit and enthusiasm in this hackathon was so palpable; there was so much of energy. For many of the participants, this was the first one and a lot of them approached me with many questions — the excitement was evident.

Leela: Yes, this was my first Hackathon. It was a pretty good experience, we as a team got some sneak peek into blockchain and its potential. We also got to discuss new projects and learnt about potential use of newer technologies.

Ankur: No, this was not my first hackathon. But I can definitely say that Nineleaps’ hackathon was way different from the previous one. This event offered a common platform for people from all backgrounds to actively participate, almost every employee participated and above all, top management was also there to guide us through. It was a great learning experience.

2. What is your take on Nineleaps’ Hackathon?

Geetika: The teamwork and passion were awe-inspiring that helped achieve desired project outcome.

Adoni: One thing that stood out for me was the involvement and support of the top management that not only encouraged but engaged participants at a deeper level.

Leela: It is beyond coding. It teaches how you can work together to find solutions that can make life easier. In a nutshell, hackathon teaches you how collaboration can help identify solutions to improve future.

Ankur: The team collaboration and effort coupled with help from the management to achieve/build something within 36 hours was incredible. The highlight of the event for me was how everyone was treated equally at Nineleaps and I’m proud to be a part of this family.

3. How involved were your teammates in the entire project?

Geetika: My team, Outliers, were extremely involved in the project and were continuously working towards getting the desired results. We were very engaged and comfortable working together.

Adoni: The team was involved and focused on getting results. As a leader of the team I recall an incident where the team started to code without a concept but stopped immediately. We then re-grouped, discussed and designed a proper solution which helped streamline the workflow.

Leela: Everyone in our team had their own set of responsibilities and were completely invested in their roles. It never mattered if it was coding or designing or finding information on the web, the teamwork was amazing. In fact, I remember my team literally giving up on lunch for completing a presentation, now that demonstrates involvement and collaboration. Ankur: We had members from both technical and non-technical background and everyone was equally involved right from discussing to finalizing the idea to defining the completion of work.

4. Would like to share any key learning/takeaway with us?

Geetika: The biggest takeaway is how technology and ideas if brought together can prove to be an efficient resource.

Leela: Gives you a platform to interact and engage with people, allowing you to share knowledge and learn a lot in a very short period of time.

Ankur: It really encourages creativity where even a small idea is rewarded, helping you rediscover your own potential as well as identify hidden talent amongst participants.

Would you take part in future hackathons? If yes, why.

Geetika: The hackathon experience was full of passion, excitement, motivation, team spirit, fun and learning. I would definitely participate again to learn new skills and sharpen my capabilities further that will help me achieve desired personal and team goals.

Adoni: I will most certainly participate in future hackathons. It is a fantastic platform to engage with your fellow workers and learn new skills.

Leela: Yes, hackathon was a great event and I really enjoyed participating in it. I would like to thank everyone who made it a success.

Ankur: I would definitely participate again. Besides employee engagement the event offers a great platform to further improve your technical skills (something that I love doing). I would also like to add that it was a very well-organized event- kudos to the organizing team!

Hackathon allows diverse group of people interact, ideate and work together in a fun setting that allows participants to see things from a different perspective and identify solutions to problems that are not obvious. As we continue to witness the blistering pace of technology advancement and processes undergo complete transformation, hackathons are a brilliant way to promote learning and encourage out-of-the-box thinking and they are here to stay.

If you participated in this event, we would love to hear about your experience. Let us know your views in the comment section.